Why choose square or rectangular bottles for product packaging?

Rectangular bottles are one of the many options available when choosing plastic packaging for liquid products, but in what scenario are they the best fit and what are the benefits? Let’s think for a minute about why bottle shapes are important from an aesthetic point of view. As with any form of design, whether it is luxury performance vehicles or company branding – shapes can emphasise various things. For example, angular, sharp shapes have been associated with masculinity, and curves are traditionally seen as more feminine. When you apply that to industries and the packaging within them, you see ‘masculine’ packaging shapes for things like construction and industrial use and ‘feminine’ shapes used for beauty and cosmetics. Over the past few years, this has been rapidly changing, as gender fluidity becomes more embraced by society, seeing packaging design change with it. So, if the shape is becoming less important from an aesthetic perspective, what are the other factors to consider? At the end of the day, the product packaging needs to be easy to carry, use, store and reliably transport. Rectangular bottles, such as our Brecon range and heavy-duty bottles here, tend to be popular in the industrial, construction and horticulture sectors. Square or rectangular bottles are often described as robust and stable. Why are rectangular bottles so popular? Easy to store A key feature of rectangular bottles is the saving on space during transport and storage. No matter where the bottles are, whether that’s on shelving, boxes or on pallets, rectangular bottles take up roughly 25 per cent less space than round ones. If your business is seeking to limit shipping costs or offer retailers the opportunity to fit more stock on the shelves, rectangular bottles could be the right solution. Easy to carry and use When considering the end use environment for the liquid product, such as a busy construction site, a mechanic’s workshop or any jobs that may result in the need for better grip, rectangular bottles tend to be easier to hold. Flat sides, rather than cylindrical, allow for the user to evenly place pressure on both sides of the plastic container. Easy to fill Rectangular bottles don’t require additional processes on production line to ensure correct presentation for labelling; the flat sides of the bottles interact with the rails easily. This can speed up production. Rectangular bottles can help with product compatibility Corners on a bottle also serve to bring additional rigidity to the walls so rectangular bottles are less susceptible to issues such as paneling and may help avoid the costs of fluorination. Large label area The label area of rectangular bottles offer considerably more space to utilise when there is a requirement to add end user instructions, or even adding QR codes for connected packaging. At Cambrian we stock 500ml and 1000ml rectangular bottles in our popular ‘Brecon’ range. These bottles have a 32/415 tamper-evident screw neck and are stocked in white and black HDPE along with TE caps to suit. They are very popular in the horticultural sector, as well as autocare, industrial and the construction industry. SUBSCRIBE Can you buy rectangular spray bottles? If you need bottles that can fit a trigger spray head, consider our rectangular spray bottles in 500ml or 1L. These fit the TS1 snap on trigger, for ease of filling, and can even form a child resistant package when combined with the right child resistant trigger spray head. These bottles are an excellent choice for a spray-applied product used in an industrial setting.

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